The speaker imagines holding hands with someone they love, and the poem starts by setting the two pairs of hands side by side. One is rugged and worn out, the other soft and untouched by work. The differences seem obvious, but the speaker quickly turns them around: both hands have ten fingers, and both carry a whole life story in the palm.
From there the poem looks ahead. The hands will meet, "tell stories" to each other, and share failure, love, pain, and everything between. The touch is imagined as physical, with heartbeats starting slowly and then speeding up, which suggests nervous excitement. By the end, the speaker stops talking about the hands and admits the feeling behind them: "As am I with you."
The mood is tender, hopeful, and a little shy. Short, plain lines make it sound like a quiet confession, and the title's mix of knowing and hoping fits a love that is felt but not yet shared.